WITP is not really a sim. It is turn based, and as noted it is definitely for someone who likes detail.
For instance, you can give units, ranging from commando size to divisions, a future objective for which they will begin to prepare as if they are training. Their training progresses from 0-100. If you just load them on a transport without preparing them and dump them on some atoll they will take horrendous casualties. Also, if you don't use proper landing craft and instead say load them on a cargo ship, which unloads slowly and with alot of confusion, they will take higher casualties, much like the real war. It is also best to have an HQ (headquarters) unit with the invasion force as it reduces their confusion and boosts their fighting ability some. Tip: As soon as you get a new ground unit at one of the staging bases like San Francisco or Karachi, immediately give it a target to prepare for. Even if you change it later at least you have them getting ready for SOMETHING rather than twidding their thumbs.
If the island has any defensive guns you need to send fleets there to pound the base into submission before invading, and/or include some cruisers or battleships with the invasion fleet to absorb defensive gunnery and fire back.
The first year is pretty much a holding action for the Americans as everything they have is outclassed by the Japanese, especially the aircraft. And you don't have alot of stuff where it needs to be. So you'll spend the first few months loading transports at San Francisco/LA, Karachi, to build up forward bases and resupply and reinforce Australia. Moving bomber and fighter groups to forward areas (long range bombers can fly from SF to Pearl, but fighters and smaller bombers have to be loaded on transports and shipped there. It all takes time. The replacements for lost aircraft are also slow at the beginning, and the experience level and morale of air crews is low so losses are relatively high. If you send a bomber group to bomb a base and they take high losses, morale drops alot and you then have to idle those squadrons or groups for a week or two to allow them to recover.
At the start the Jap carriers and planes far outclass the U.S. stuff so any direct confrontations will not go well. The same for any contact between U.S. carrier TFs and longrange land-based bombers.
The first order of business (when you start a whole-war campaign) is to load up tranports and get supplies and fuel moving from the U.S. mainland and Karachi to Pearl and Australia. Pick a few of the larger Aussie bases and make them main supply depos, keeping them supplied with the maximum supplies and fuel, then distributing from those out to any forward smaller bases. All transports should be either loading, unloading, or moving at all times. I use Noumea, Brisbane and Broome in the south Pacific, and Colombo and Diamond Harbor near India.
The first few turns take more than an hour and as noted you could spend hours if you wanted to. After that the time diminishes down to as little as fifteen minutes. Depends how 'hands on' you are, i.e. if you want to check every single unit every turn. If not the turns can go quickly.
If you like the detail this game is great. One of the best done of the Pacific War. It isn't perfect but it gets close enough.
Gibbons
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